Tomorrow is a dark day for small businesses in the UK

[lostmybuttons]

I run a small business, mostly selling on Etsy. But as of tomorrow, Friday 13th December the introduction of the new GPSR legislation is creating such a huge headache for businesses like mine.

We can no longer sell to the EU or Northern Ireland, without paying for an appointed representative to ensure our products are safe. The cost for this is completely unachievable for most businesses like mine. Obviously, we all want our products to be as safe as possible but is it right that it'll cost me at least £2,000 a year to tell me my paper stationery is safe!!

Our only choice is to stop selling to the EU and Northern Ireland, which is a huge loss in income for those already struggling.

We feel like we are shouting into the void and absolutely no one is listening.

This is compounded by the fact that Etsy refuse to separate Northern Ireland in our shipping settings, so by default we are all breaking the legislation and risking fine of up to £20,000.

All Etsy have advised is to cancel any NI orders, which frankly is terrible customer service.

If there was ever a time to shop independent, your small business friends need you now.

I'm so angry that Brexit has been such a disaster and still Nigel Farage hasn't seemed to lose any momentum.

It's been a disaster for the economy as well as loads of people's dreams being crushed. Where's the accountability for the fact that it went so wrong. 😔

OH is that what they're wittering on about. Good grief 🙄

Yet we didn’t have this bureaucracy when we were in the EU, did we? Weird that.

You can't turn off the UK if you are in the UK. So if you want to sell on Etsy and can't afford the representative you can't sell on Etsy or you are breaking the law.
If you are e.g. in the US selling on Etsy you will not be able to sell legally to the rest of the UK because of NI.
If you are a seller of downloads e.g. knitting patterns you are in fact screwed because they are also subject to the GPSR regulations and Etsy hasn't allowed sellers to limit where they are offered.

Brexit...the gift that keeps on giving

Living in N Ireland it's always been hard to get GB businesses to sell to and to deliver here (inexplicably, we also often get charged high courier fees for products that could easily be sent by normal Royal Mail) so this is going to be one more ridiculous reason for GB companies to refuse to sell or deliver products here. Yay 🙄

I don't know how small businesses will manage because, since post-Brexit regulations were agreed, even mega-corps like Amazon have decided not to deliver everyday things to NI because of fiddly customs regs. It's extremely tiresome and makes life difficult for everybody.

I'll start the change by saying "Beyond the trellis" if no one objects?

Deeply offensive. The T word is derived from treille, which is old french. Your theft and corruption of it is an appalling act of cultural appropriation against that noble people.

Northern Ireland really got fucked over by Brexit.

I am appalled at the glee with which Remainers watch the suffering of the UK at the hands of the EU. It's like they enjoy being smug about being "right" and blaming the other side, more than they do about the welfare of the nation.

The arrogant, entitled, out-of-touch behaviour of leftists is a big part of the reason why you keep losing votes. It is not people's responsibility to vote for you, it is your responsibility to make yourselves appealing to voters. Hint: calling people stupid doesn't work. But leftists are too self-righteous and arrogant to ever learn or change.

Norway and Switzerland are not in the EU. Brexit did not have to be like this.

As for this new legislation, there should be exceptions for countries with equally strong product safety legislation. It does not materially benefit the EU to exclude the UK. The EU choose not to do this because they behave like a criminal gang who punish members for leaving. These decisions are merely to prevent other member countries from doing the same. These are not the actions of an ethical or benevolent organization.

Also, Etsy are damaging the rights of Northern Irish people by going against the Good Friday agreement.

True. Great Britain did too.

Norway and Switzerland are not in the EU. Brexit did not have to be like this.

It didn’t have to happen at all.

I am appalled that the people who caused this shitshow have the nerve to blame anyone but themselves. You knew what you were voting for, didn’t you? You voted for this you utter, utter, balloon.

Think it through.

If I have a UK business and sel a widget to France, my UK employee makes and packs the widget. Their NI and.income.tax are paid in.he UK. My tax on profits are paid in the UK. All exactly the same as if I sell that widget to someone in the UK.

The difference is that if I sell it to France, the money that pays for.the widget (and.the wages, and the taxes) comes into the country from France. If I sell to someone in the UK, the money is already here and just goes round in circles.

Which do you think is better for the UK?

Erm…well, no obviously, as it’s something the EU impose on countries that aren’t a part of them.

Norway and Switzerland are not in the EU. Brexit did not have to be like this.

They are both in the single market.

there should be exceptions for countries with equally strong product safety legislation.

It's not for you to dictate how the EU trades with RoW! You left the room where those decisions are made. If you want the benefits that come with the degree of trust required to have frictionless trade you need to accept the obligations of single-market membership.

(PS I prefer "ignorant" to "stupid" )

It's been a disaster for touring musicians, both EU and UK. A Belgian band's gig I wanted to see was cancelled on the day because the show in my city was the first UK tour date and the band were barred from entering the country. I don't know whether it was work permits or customs clearance for instruments that was the problem, but neither of those things would be a problem if we were in the EU.

Huge bands like Muse, Iron Maiden etc aren't bothered because they've got managers to deal with all the paperwork and money to pay for work permit applications etc, but little bands basically can't cross that customs border to tour. I'm saddened by the knowledge that the Portugese band I saw in the UK before our departure from the EU are realistically never going to play the UK again.

You keep on digging your massive, arrogant hole: treat ordinary people with contempt then wonder why ordinary people don't vote for you. This is the exact same behaviour displayed the run up to the referendum.

The blame for this excessive and draconian legislation is solely at the feet of the EU. They needlessly chose to exclude the UK from safety legislation not for safety reasons, but on principle: as their ongoing show of power and punishment to prevent other members from leaving. This is deeply unethical behaviour; the EU care more about simply maintaining power for themselves as an organisation, than being a positive force for their members and the wider world.

In the lead up to the referendum, the EU did not address the concerns of the British populace, and promise us (and other member countries) to do better - as an organisation supposedly for the benefit of its own members should do. They instead insulted and threatened us and promised to make our lives even worse if we left.

It was their job to make themselves appealing to voters. They failed.

Similar, it was Remainers' duty to appeal to voters. You continued with the same tactics as the EU of insulting, berating and threatening voters - while refusing to address valid concerns - and failed.

Modern leftists will never win anything until they realise that it is their responsibility to win votes, rather than voter's duty to obey them.

Why can’t you incorporate in a low tax jurisdiction within the EU and sell through the EU office? I doubt it would cost £2,000 per year?

You have come across as a massively ill informed twat.

This is a tiny, one-woman Etsy business! And in any event unless she goes further and manufactures them in the EU the goods will still need to enter the EU and be subject to the directive.

They needlessly chose to exclude the UK from safety legislation not for safety reasons, but on principle

It applies to all third countries. The legislation has been years in the making - it started before the UK left. The fact that the UK sees itself as the victim of a devious plot by the EU says more about the mental health of the UK!

I didn't know about this. Really sorry for any small businesses affected.

Only, an EU registered company created by the OP can act as the importer directly, skipping the need for an authorised representative. While the OP would need to do the leg work (clearly set out on the EU GSPR page), once they’ve done it, the initial cost and time will pay for itself - especially if she is looking at £2,000 per annum.

I presume the real issue is she doesn’t make much money, if anything and it isn’t worth it to even do it themselves.

WTF are you on about?

Remainers aren't gleeful. They're despairing. They have been proved right and are as caught up and affected by all of this shitshow as everyone else. Brexiteers: only too keen to label remain voters as remoaners and tell them they weren't trying hard enough to make it work, but they turn into delicate snowflakes as soon as it looks like they might be blamed for the disaster they themselves brought upon the UK.

Secondly, Brexit was not a left v. right issue. There were plenty on the left who were just as keen on Brexit as many of those on the right. And vice versa. Plus, are the left losing votes? Because last time I looked they were in government and since we haven't had an election since July, they have not lost any votes (opinion polls are not the same as votes).

We (the UK) would have had some influence over EU legislation if we were still part of it. We're not, so the EU do not need to take any of our product safety legislation into account. The EU exists for the benefit of it's own members and we aren't a member any more. It was never some sort of benevolent organisation for the good of the world; it was only ever an organisation benefitting itself. We chose to leave so we get treated like every other country who isn't a member. If Brexiteers thought that we could leave and still get special treatment, they were sadly mistaken.

I'm sorry for small business owners who are affected by this.

No one has ever "done trade deals" or even one trade deal "with South America" for anything, because South America is not and never has been an entity that can make an international agreement.

If you mean that that that EU has made deals with individual countries in South America and elsewhere both before and after Brexit, well yes of course they have. As most comprehensive trade deals take 10+ years to negotiate, some of the EU's recent trade deals benefited from the expertise and work and funding of the UK and its people and organizations.

However, I'm not really aware of any recently-completed EU trade deals with South American countries besides EU/Chile; can you list the deals you mean?